Hiring an agency for the first time can feel opaque. What happens after you sign? How do proposals and contracts work? What does onboarding look like? When will you see results? If you've never worked with an agency before, the process can be unfamiliar—and that uncertainty can make it harder to choose the right partner and set yourself up for success.
Key Takeaways:
- Discovery, proposals, and onboarding typically take 4-8 weeks before real work begins
- Respond to agency requests within 2-3 business days to keep timelines on track
- Consolidate stakeholder feedback before sending it to the agency
- Scope changes almost always extend timelines and cost—discuss them formally
This guide walks you through what to expect when hiring an agency: the discovery process, proposals and contracts, onboarding, communication cadence, deliverables, reporting, timeline expectations, and common surprises. Whether you're hiring a marketing agency, design firm, or development shop, these patterns apply.
The Discovery Process
What It Is
Before an agency proposes work, they typically want to understand your business, goals, and challenges. This is the discovery phase. It might include:
- Initial call or meeting: High-level discussion of what you need and what they offer
- Questionnaire or brief: Written questions about your audience, market, current situation, and success metrics
- Stakeholder interviews: Conversations with key people on your team
- Audit or assessment: Review of your current assets, website, campaigns, or processes
What to Expect
Discovery can take a few days to a few weeks depending on scope. The agency is investing time to craft a relevant proposal—and to decide if you're a good fit. You're also evaluating them. Use discovery to assess their questions: Do they dig into your business? Do they seem to understand your industry? Are they listening or just selling?
Your Role
Be prepared to share:
- Business goals and how this project supports them
- Target audience and market
- Current state (what you've tried, what's working, what isn't)
- Budget range (if you're comfortable) and timeline constraints
- Key stakeholders and how decisions get made
- Success metrics (how you'll measure results)
The more you share, the better the proposal. Vague answers lead to generic proposals.
Proposals and Contracts
Proposals
A proposal outlines what the agency will do, how they'll do it, what you'll get, and how much it costs. Proposals vary in length and detail—from a few pages to a full deck. Expect to see:
- Understanding of your situation (shows they listened in discovery)
- Approach or methodology (how they'll tackle the work)
- Scope and deliverables (specific outputs, e.g., "10 blog posts," "brand guidelines," "landing page")
- Timeline (phases, milestones, key dates)
- Investment (pricing, payment terms)
- Team (who will work on your account)
- Next steps (how to proceed if you say yes)
Some agencies use proposal software that lets you review and e-sign online. Others send PDFs. Either way, read carefully. If something is unclear—scope, timeline, or cost—ask before signing.
Contracts
A contract formalizes the agreement. It typically covers:
- Scope of work
- Payment terms (when and how you pay)
- Timeline and milestones
- Revision rounds and approval process
- Intellectual property (who owns what)
- Confidentiality
- Termination terms
Agencies may use a master services agreement (MSA) plus a statement of work (SOW) for each project. Read both. If you have legal counsel, having them review high-value contracts is wise—the SBA recommends legal review for any significant service agreement. For simpler engagements, a standard freelance contract or retainer agreement may suffice.
Key questions to clarify:
- What happens if the scope changes?
- How are overages or additional work billed?
- What's the process for pausing or ending the engagement?
- Who owns the work product when the project is done?
Onboarding
What Happens After You Sign
Once you've signed the contract and (often) paid a deposit or first invoice, onboarding begins. This typically includes:
- Welcome communication: Confirmation, next steps, and intro to your main contact
- Kickoff meeting: Aligning on goals, timeline, roles, and communication
- Access and assets: Providing logins, brand guidelines, copy, and other materials the agency needs
- Tool setup: You may get access to a client portal, project tool, or shared drive where work lives
- First milestones: Agreed first deliverables and dates
Timeline
Onboarding can take a few days for simple projects or 1–2 weeks for larger engagements. The agency is setting up systems, assigning the team, and gathering what they need to start. Delays on your side—slow access to tools, late brand assets—push the whole project back.
Your Role
Respond quickly to onboarding requests. Provide assets and access as soon as you can. Attend the kickoff and bring the right people—those who can answer questions and make decisions. The faster you complete onboarding, the faster real work begins.
Communication Cadence
How Often Will You Talk?
This varies by project type and stage. Common patterns:
- Weekly status email for ongoing retainers
- Bi-weekly or monthly calls for strategy and review
- Slack or shared channel for quick questions and approvals
- Scheduled check-ins at key milestones
- As-needed updates for project-based work
The proposal or contract often specifies the communication plan. If it doesn't, ask. You want to know:
- Who is your main point of contact?
- How often will you get updates?
- What's the best way to reach them for urgent items?
- How quickly do they typically respond?
Response Times
Many agencies commit to response times—e.g., within 24 hours for email, 48 hours for feedback requests. If you need faster turnarounds for certain deliverables, discuss that upfront. And hold up your end: if the agency needs feedback by Friday to stay on schedule, try to deliver it. Delays on your side affect the whole timeline.
Deliverables
What You'll Receive
Deliverables depend on the engagement. For a website redesign, you might get wireframes, designs, and a built site. For content marketing, blog posts, social content, and performance reports. For branding, a logo, guidelines, and assets.
The proposal and SOW should list deliverables clearly. If it says "3 concept options," expect three. If it says "monthly performance report," expect a report each month.
Format and Handoff
Ask how you'll receive work—via a client portal, shared drive, email, or another tool. For design files, clarify formats (e.g., Figma, PDF, source files). For reports, PDF, Google Sheets, or a dashboard. Knowing the handoff process avoids "where is everything?" confusion later.
Revision Rounds
Most proposals include a set number of revision rounds per deliverable—often 2–3. Use them wisely. Vague feedback burns through rounds without getting you closer to final. Specific, prioritized feedback makes each round count. If you need more rounds, discuss with the agency; they may accommodate or propose an addendum.
Reporting
What to Expect
For performance-based work (SEO, PPC, content, etc.), expect regular reporting. That might mean:
- Monthly performance reports (traffic, conversions, rankings, etc.)
- Dashboards you can access anytime
- Quarterly business reviews (QBRs) for larger engagements
- Ad-hoc updates for campaigns or launches
Reports should tie back to the goals you agreed on. If you said "increase qualified leads," the report should show lead metrics—not just vanity stats.
How to Use Reports
Review reports and ask questions. If something is unclear, or if results aren't what you hoped, bring it up. Reports are a chance to course-correct. Don't let months go by without discussing why a campaign underperformed or why a metric is moving the wrong way.
Timeline Expectations
Realistic Timeframes
Agencies can't deliver a full rebrand in a week or rank #1 for competitive keywords in a month. HubSpot's marketing data confirms that most campaigns need months to show meaningful ROI. Different work has different timelines:
- Quick wins: Some tactics (e.g., fixing technical SEO issues, launching a simple landing page) can show impact in weeks.
- Medium-term: Content campaigns, design projects, and PPC optimization often take 2–3 months to show meaningful results.
- Long-term: SEO, brand building, and complex integrations often need 6–12 months or more.
The agency should set expectations in the proposal. If they say "we typically see meaningful SEO movement in 4–6 months," believe them. Pushing for faster results may lead to shortcuts that don't pay off.
Milestones and Dependencies
Projects have dependencies. Design depends on the brief. Development depends on approved designs. Content depends on topic approval. Delays at any stage ripple through. Your timely feedback and approvals keep the project on track.
Common Timeline Surprises
- Discovery and onboarding take longer than expected if you're slow to provide access or assets
- Revision rounds add time—each round can add days or weeks
- Scope changes almost always extend the timeline
- Seasonal or external factors (e.g., holidays, your internal launches) can shift dates—communicate early
Common Surprises (And How to Handle Them)
"We need more than we discussed"
Scope creep happens—PMI research shows it affects nearly half of all projects. A project expands, or you realize you need something extra. When that occurs, the agency will likely propose a change order or addendum—updated scope, timeline, and cost. Don't assume extras are included. Discuss scope changes formally to avoid surprise invoices.
"The first draft isn't what I imagined"
First drafts are starting points. If the direction is fundamentally wrong, address it quickly—ideally in a call. If it's close but needs refinement, give specific feedback. "It's not what I wanted" doesn't help; "we need to emphasize X and de-emphasize Y" does.
"There are more people involved than I expected"
Agencies often have account managers, strategists, designers, and specialists. You might interact with several people. That's normal. Ask for a clear org chart or RACI so you know who does what.
"The tools are different from what I'm used to"
Agencies use project tools, client portals, and reporting dashboards. There may be a learning curve. Ask for a short walkthrough or documentation. Most agencies are happy to onboard you to their systems.
"Reporting metrics don't match our internal data"
Different tools measure differently. Google Analytics might show different numbers than your CRM or ad platform. Ask the agency how they're measuring and what the variance might be. Align on a single source of truth when possible.
"I'm not sure if it's working"
If you're unsure, say so. Schedule a check-in to review progress against goals. The agency can explain what's on track, what's not, and what to adjust. Avoid waiting until the end of the engagement to raise concerns.
Summary: Your Agency Hiring Checklist
Before you sign:
- [ ] Understand the discovery process and participate fully
- [ ] Review proposals and contracts carefully; ask questions
- [ ] Clarify scope, timeline, payment terms, and revision rounds
- [ ] Know who your main contact will be and how you'll communicate
After you sign:
- [ ] Complete onboarding quickly—provide access and assets
- [ ] Attend the kickoff and align on goals and process
- [ ] Respond to feedback requests within the agreed window
- [ ] Give specific, prioritized feedback on deliverables
- [ ] Review reports and raise questions early
- [ ] Respect timelines and communicate if you'll be delayed
- [ ] Discuss scope changes before assuming they're included
Ongoing:
- [ ] Use your client portal or project tool as the single source of truth
- [ ] Escalate issues through your main contact first
- [ ] Schedule periodic check-ins if progress feels unclear
Hiring an agency is a partnership. Knowing what to expect—from discovery to reporting—helps you choose the right partner, set clear expectations, and get the results you're paying for. For more on finding the right fit, see our guide on how to start (or hire) a marketing agency.